Reference Interviews

Module 1 Min-Yen KAN

Fundamentals of LIS

What is a reference interview?

Process where the user comes to the reference desk and asks for information

What type of information do people ask for?

What are the characteristics of a reference interview?

What factors lead to a “successful” reference interview?

How do we evaluate reference interviews?

RI as a process: a first point of view

RI as an information transfer process

Check whether a (human) system provides the user with a right answer

Complete

Accurate and timely

What is the percentage of questions answered correctly?

Why only ___%?!?

Some explanations:

One reference interview

The librarian:

I think it went all right from my viewpoint because I didn’t have to really interact too much. She seemed capable, she seemed to know what she was doing. I felt she had found what she wanted because she said she had what she needed. She seemed to be capable of handling it on her own.

- Radford (99)

One reference interview

The student:

I felt like she couldn’t help me on my subject. Isn’t that she didn’t know the answer, but I felt that she didn’t want to [help]… she looked like she did not know what I was talking about, a blank stare and also almost like irritated.

RI as an communicative art

When a group of MLS students were sent on a mission to the library to ask a question…

__% said that they might ask another question in the future

__% said that they wouldn’t bother asking the librarian even if they have an information need

No matter what form the reference interview takes on, a form of interpersonal communication takes place

Is not and cannot be free of relational dimensions

"When attempts to find information..."

When attempts to find information fail, patrons may choose to approach the reference desk. If they do, the librarian becomes the human interface or mediator between the library and the users’ need.

The critically important moment when users approach and engage the librarian can be the point at which the complexities of the library are gently explained, fears are calmed, and information becomes accessible.

If help is withheld, given grudgingly, hurriedly, or in a condensing manner, the encounter becomes the point at which the library appears even more inaccessible. Users can be left feeling confused, frustrated, and sometimes personally defeated or humiliated.

- paraphrased from Radford (99)

Question Negotiation

Anomalous State of Knowledge (ASK)

A state in which the user “is unable to specify precisely what is needed to address their need”

To help the librarian understand the needs of the user, Taylor (68) uses 5 question filters

Subject

Objective and motivation

Escalator Questions

Types of queries in RI

Directional

e.g., Where are the photocopiers?

30-50% of all questions

1 minute or less

Ready reference – “factoid” questions

e.g., Who is the prime minister of China?

50-60%

90% can be answered using standard references; 10%

Specific-search

e.g., Where can I find information on sexism in business?

20%-40%

Depends on sources available

Research Questions

c.f., information ecology

very low frequency

Depends, but generally longer and more challenging (and fun)

Question Variability

The question alone does not determine its type

Aspects of the user

(adult, child, professor, student under deadline)

Scope of the query

(just for fun, winning a bet, for research)

RI as a doctor consultation?

Yes

__

No

__

Finding and evaluating materials

Once understood, the query has to be transformed into a search strategy

e.g., does the scope of the query imply an article, a book or a bibliography? Do I need to do a catalog search?

Once material is found, is it actually appropriate to the user?

e.g., is the material suitable for citation in a high school report or research publication?

Available sources in the library

Access

Bibliography

e.g., controlled bibliographies & (union) catalogs

Source

Encyclopedias

Fact Sources

Dictionaries

Biographical Sources

Geographical Sources

The Information Chain

Primary sources

Secondary

Tertiary

Evaluating a source

Many criteria to consider, but:

Purpose

Authority

Scope

Audience

Cost

Format

RI as a process: revised game plan

Transition into the DL

No matter what the technology is, the goal remains to answer questions

William Katz (Reference services guru)

A Librarian’s Lament

We have enticed the academy into cyberspace…without us.

We have proven the value of library resources…but not the librarian

- R. David Lankes
(Director of Institute of Information Systems,
Syracuse University)

The state of digital reference

Question Answering systems

AskA services

Cutting edge trends

TREC Question Answering

The state of the art system question answering system gets about ______ of “factoid” ready-reference questions answered correctly.

- TREC competition results (02)

Ask-A services

Question Triage

Sorting and routing questions

Ask A services

Differ on

Cost: Fee or free

Turnaround time

Area of expertise

Rating / Feedback on experts

What is Digital Reference?

a.k.a. “AskA” services

Internet-based question-and-answer services that connect users with experts and subject expertise.

Connect people with people

Virtual Reference Desk Network

This service provides support to AskA services by accepting out-of-scope and overflow questions.

When a subject-specific service gets questions out of its scope, it forwards them to the VRDN.

If a question cannot be addressed by another member, it is handled by a VRD core librarian.

But does it matter?

Sloan (02)’s statistics

Types of questions (n = 877)

Research questions – 30%

“I need five articles for…” – 20%

Known item questions – 8%)

Ready reference questions – 14%

Library use questions – 8%

Library technical questions – 9%

Wait time

63% of users waited fewer than 30 seconds

73.5% in one minute or less

Heading in the right direction for the future?

Question session as a data object to be studied and statistically analyzed.

Collaboration strategies to bring users to experts 24/7.

HCI studies and chat/email/dialog toolkits to make user interactions seem more polite and pleasant.

Melding of automatic methods with manual ones.

References

Virtual Reference Desk

(conferences proceedings also online)

http://www.vrd.org/

Alliance Library Ready Reference

(used in Sloan’s study, including data)

http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com/Projects/ReadyRef/index.html


	Process where the user comes to the reference desk and asks for information
		What type of information do people ask for?

		What are the characteristics of a reference interview?
		What factors lead to a “successful” reference interview?
		How do we evaluate reference interviews?


	Check whether a (human) system provides the user with a right answer
		Complete
		Accurate and timely

	What is the percentage of questions answered correctly?


	The librarian:
		I think it went all right from my viewpoint because I didn’t have to really interact too much. She seemed capable, she seemed to know what she was doing. I felt she had found what she wanted because she said she had what she needed. She seemed to be capable of handling it on her own.
		- Radford (99)


	The student:
		I felt like she couldn’t help me on my subject. Isn’t that she didn’t know the answer, but I felt that she didn’t want to [help]… she looked like she did not know what I was talking about, a blank stare and also almost like irritated.


	When a group of MLS students were sent on a mission to the library to ask a question…
		__% said that they might ask another question in the future
		__% said that they wouldn’t bother asking the librarian even if they have an information need

	No matter what form the reference interview takes on, a form of interpersonal communication takes place
		Is not and cannot be free of relational dimensions


	When attempts to find information fail, patrons may choose to approach the reference desk. If they do, the librarian becomes the human interface or mediator between the library and the users’ need.

		The critically important moment when users approach and engage the librarian can be the point at which the complexities of the library are gently explained, fears are calmed, and information becomes accessible.

		If help is withheld, given grudgingly, hurriedly, or in a condensing manner, the encounter becomes the point at which the library appears even more inaccessible. Users can be left feeling confused, frustrated, and sometimes personally defeated or humiliated.

		- paraphrased from Radford (99)


Anomalous State of Knowledge (ASK)
	A state in which the user “is unable to specify precisely what is needed to address their need”

To help the librarian understand the needs of the user, Taylor (68) uses 5 question filters
		Subject
		Objective and motivation



Escalator Questions


	Directional
		e.g., Where are the photocopiers?
		30-50% of all questions
		1 minute or less

	Ready reference – “factoid” questions
		e.g., Who is the prime minister of China?
		50-60%
		90% can be answered using standard references; 10%

	Specific-search
		e.g., Where can I find information on sexism in business?
		20%-40%
		Depends on sources available

	Research Questions
		c.f., information ecology
		very low frequency
		Depends, but generally longer and more challenging (and fun)


The question alone does not determine its type
	Aspects of the user
		(adult, child, professor, student under deadline)
	Scope of the query
		(just for fun, winning a bet, for research)


	Once understood, the query has to be transformed into a search strategy
		e.g., does the scope of the query imply an article, a book or a bibliography? Do I need to do a catalog search?

	Once material is found, is it actually appropriate to the user?
		e.g., is the material suitable for citation in a high school report or research publication?


Access
	Bibliography
		e.g., controlled bibliographies & (union) catalogs
Source
	Encyclopedias
	Fact Sources
	Dictionaries
	Biographical Sources
	Geographical Sources


	Many criteria to consider, but:
	Purpose
	Authority
	Scope
	Audience
	Cost
	Format


	No matter what the technology is, the goal remains to answer questions
	William Katz (Reference services guru)


	We have enticed the academy into cyberspace…without us.
	We have proven the value of library resources…but not the librarian

	- R. David Lankes (Director of Institute of Information Systems, Syracuse University)


	The state of the art system question answering system gets about ______ of “factoid” ready-reference questions answered correctly.
		- TREC competition results (02)


Question Triage
	Sorting and routing questions

Ask A services
	Differ on
		Cost: Fee or free
		Turnaround time
		Area of expertise
		Rating / Feedback on experts


	a.k.a. “AskA” services

	Internet-based question-and-answer services that connect users with experts and subject expertise.

	Connect people with people


	This service provides support to AskA services by accepting out-of-scope and overflow questions.
	When a subject-specific service gets questions out of its scope, it forwards them to the VRDN.
	If a question cannot be addressed by another member, it is handled by a VRD core librarian.


Sloan (02)’s statistics
	Types of questions (n = 877)
		Research questions – 30%
		“I need five articles for…” – 20%
		Known item questions – 8%)
		Ready reference questions – 14%
		Library use questions – 8%
		Library technical questions – 9%

	Wait time
		63% of users waited fewer than 30 seconds
		73.5% in one minute or less


	Question session as a data object to be studied and statistically analyzed.

	Collaboration strategies to bring users to experts 24/7.

	HCI studies and chat/email/dialog toolkits to make user interactions seem more polite and pleasant.

	Melding of automatic methods with manual ones.


	Virtual Reference Desk
		(conferences proceedings also online)
		http://www.vrd.org/

	Alliance Library Ready Reference
		(used in Sloan’s study, including data)
		http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com/Projects/ReadyRef/index.html